Dirty Laundry
by coffee dazed
Summary: Love, life and laundry with reela. more fluff no pun intended :p, no angst
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own ER, etc, etc

**Note: **just a bit more fluff to lighten up the roomies

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Wrinkling up her nose, Neela picked the sport sock off the floor between thumb and forefinger, arm outstretched. She had tried to put off what she was doing for the last few days, she really had, but the mess of clothes that began in her room-mate's own room had started to filter into the living-room and she finally made the executive decision to raid Ray's laundry. 

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Having finished the night shift, Neela had the rest of the day off and her roomie was just finishing his last gulp of coffee as she came in the door. As usual, he looked as if he had simply rolled out of bed and into his clothes even though she knew that he would have been showered and dressed well before she arrived. Neela took in his rumpled T-shirt that was emblazoned with a band-name she had never heard of, faded jeans and slightly spiked hair. Even in her tired state, she had to admit that his cuteness factor did rate quite high.

_Ah, who am I kidding? _Neela sighed, it wasn't just the groupies, she was aware that there were a number of nurses throughout County who had noticed Dr. Barnett.

Ray pushed a fresh mug into her hand. "There's more in the pot and there's some bacon and rolls left too. I gotta run, catch you later on." Grabbing his back pack, he gave her a quick wink before dashing out. Since Neela had been doing more night shifts, Ray had gradually taken care make sure there was fresh coffee and something for breakfast when she came in. He smiled wryly to himself as he went down the stairs. _Who knew Ray Barnett was a softie at heart?_

Neela made her way over to the hob where a still-hot frying pan with crispy bacon sat next to a fresh buttered roll. She savoured the delicious smell, bacon butties were one thing from Britain that she missed, put it together with a hot cup of tea and there was perfection!

After breakfast and a shower, Neela felt the tiredness ebb even though she knew she should still have really gone to her bed. Nevertheless, as she looked around the apartment, she felt the urge to tidy and it didn't take long until she was left only with her nemesis – Ray's room. In general, it wasn't a bother as long as the door was kept shut but one peek, one crack that opened a view to its interior and the part of Neela that would forever be the organised nerd wanted to get in and tidy!

It wasn't that the room was dirty, it was just messy and often a T-shirt would be left slung on the sofa, jeans hanging off a chair back and they would remain there for days until Neela nagged long enough for Ray to move them or she moved them herself. Thus, with her course of action decided, she rolled up her proverbial sleeves (she was wearing a sleeveless vest), grabbed a laundry basket and pushed open Ray's door.

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Finally, with a full basket and the whole of the floor now visible, Neela dragged the laundry out to the kitchen towards the washing machine. Unsure what was clean and what had been worn, she decided that her best bet was to simply wash all of it so she set about separating darks and lights, something Ray never did. Neela grinned at the memory of the time her roomie had pulled out a just-washed load and all of his whites had come out a delicate blue tie-dye.

Stopping at a dark grey item, she let her hands run over the worn cotton, the feel of the cloth so familiar, reminding her of the first time she had pinched it for lack of clean pyjamas and enjoying the comforting smell of Ray's scent. It had been one of the best night's sleep and incidentally, she found that she always slept well all the subsequent times she had borrowed it, albeit without his knowing.

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Ray yawned as he turned the handle, it had been a mad, bad day at the ER and he was glad to get home and yes, he was glad to get home to Neela. He wasn't sure when that had happened, he just remembered one evening that Neela had stayed over at Abby's after a girlie night of chatting and drinking and he realised that he really, really missed having her around.

He automatically moved over to the sofa to drop his bag onto the cushions when he stopped just in time. She was sound asleep, the throw pulled up to her chin and Ray had narrowly missed giving her a rude awakening with a bag plonking on her head. It was then that he looked round and saw that his room door was open and then spotted the freshly laundered clothing on the kitchen table divided into four piles, two each, one of lights and one of darks.

Smiling at the sweet image of his sleeping friend, Ray picked up his share of the clothing and headed into his room, surprised that he hadn't tripped over anything then marvelling at how tidy everything was. He began to put away the items. _Where the hell was that T-shirt?_ He was sure he had seen it somewhere on the floor the other morning, mind you, there had been a lot of things on the floor so there was no guarantee of its presence.

He was about to shove the pillowcases into their drawer when he felt a bump in the cloth. _Probably a sock or some such, they were always getting caught up in duvets covers and things._ Reaching in, his fingers curled around the mystery item before drawing out and opening his hand to reveal lacy pink underwear. Ray felt redness flush to the tip of his ears and then flush more as he thought how ridiculous he was being. He was a grown man for goodness sake and it was just material that belonged to his platonic room-mate. _Yeah, but it was quite intimate material that belonged to a room-mate that he was no longer sure he just wanted to be platonic with._

Deciding that the thing to do was to place it on Neela's laundry pile while she was still asleep, Ray stepped quietly back to the kitchen. _Arghh, the clothes had gone!_

"Hey, how was work?"

_Arghh, she was awake!_

He turned to be met by the adorable sight of her sleepy face and tousled hair, slim figure in vest and tracksuit bottoms. Ray had to take a few seconds to gather himself before replying. "It was fine, just a usual day at County, couple of RTAs, cardiacs and the rest a mix of minor traumas, coughs and sneezes which needed tests to check for more serious illnesses." He didn't mention that it was also one of those days where people had called in sick so they were more short-staffed than usual so it was all systems go from start to finish. Ray didn't feel like talking shop, just wanted a relaxed evening at home.

Neela smiled sympathetically. "I'm just making dinner, hope you want chicken, else you'll just need to make your own."

"Chicken's fine, sounds good." Ray racked his brains to think of a way to move past her and get into her room without her noticing. He couldn't believe he was treating this like 'Mission Impossible', knew his embarrassment was irrational but he couldn't help it. Just as he went to walk past, heard Neela ask,

"What have you got in your hand?"

_Crap! There was pink lace sticking out._

"Ah, yeah, um…it got mixed up in my clothes, I think it's yours. I was just going to put it in your room." He held out the item.

"Oh, thanks. I thought I had got everything, I'll just go put it away." Neela took her knickers from him and disappeared to her room. Once there, she sat on the bed and groaned. She couldn't believe she had left her undies in his stuff, would he think she was trying to hit on him? After all, it was the first time that had ever happened. Worse still, she realised that she _wanted_ to hit on him, she just wasn't brave enough. 

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**Note: hope you enjoyed that, tell me what you think x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** never will I ever, ever own ER

**Note:**this is a bit AU as there is no specific time-line and events that might be familiar to you are not specifically in order. neither is my knowledge of proper hospital protocol (yes i could ask my brother but he thinks i'm a bit mad anyway and he would be bemused that i would want to know for a fic :p) . Therefore, please just enjoy this story for the piece of fluff that it is and excuse any discrepancies that i may have inadvertently made.

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She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she walked down the corridor after leaving the lab where she had gone to collect results for a patient with chest pain that she had been asked to look at in case of any surgery needed. Having spoken long enough to the techie who confirmed that there were no serious causes apparent, Neela found the young woman pressing her number into her hand alongside the results and asking her to pass it on to "that hot doctor you share with". 

Since any rumours that her and Ray were 'roomies-with-benefits' had been long ago been denied or quashed, it always seemed to be open season for her room-mate and it seemed that a lot of girls thought it perfectly acceptable to try to use Neela to put in a good word for them. In the beginning, Neela had found it amusing and didn't mind the occasional passing on of numbers but as word spread that she had done it for one or two potential suitor-esses, it began to happen more and more frequently. Now, thought the surgical resident, it was way beyond a joke, especially now that she thought of Ray as more than just her roomie – _"even though he doesn't know it"_, she added mentally.

Neela thought about tearing up the folded note of paper in her hand and throwing it out a window but after brief consideration, she decided against it. Neela Rasgotra was, always would be, too honest a person and she would feel too guilty about doing something so underhand.

Taking the stairs, she made her way down to the ER to break the news of the results to the chest patient which she knew would likely lead to more lengthy and costly tests if they didn't get better soon. As she entered the department, Neela immediately felt relaxed despite the constant hustle and activity so different from the relative calm of surgery. As Crenshaw so often commented, she really was a surgical step-child as she always felt more at home in the ER despite her chosen direction.

Heading towards the desk, she spotted Ray studying a chart with another few tucked under his arm and she had to admire his multi-tasking skills. In the midst of his busy-ness, he was still able to casually flirt with the pretty nurse who stood with him as he went over the notes with her. Frowning a little, she decided not to stop after all and continued her way to the beds.

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Ok, Ray had to say he enjoyed the attention he got from women, it was something he had gotten used to since his college days and especially with the band. Ray was constantly mystified at how well the words 'I'm in a band' worked on women - he had seen it happen many times where a guy who wouldn't be looked at twice in the street suddenly became a grungy Adonis backstage at a gig.

Now, as a bona fide professional doctor, he had tempered his use of such charms but he wasn't averse to occasional use of it at work, especially if it got his patients seen to faster, as demonstrated here. The patient whose chart he was currently studying had been waiting to be moved for ages and after much unsuccessful arguing with the relevant department, Ray realised he would make far more headway through sweet-talking the female doctor on duty there. The consequence was that eventually, they agreed that to send a senior department nurse down to look over the patient before making a decision.

With his task completed, he was simply indulging in banter with the nurse when he saw Neela breeze swiftly by without even glancing his way. Ray felt a twinge of hurt before deciding that she must be too focused on her work to have seen him so with a hurried excuse to the nurse, he half-loped to catch up with her.

"Where's the fire?" he joked behind her.

Deep brown eyes looked round to regard him coolly. "You were otherwise occupied so I thought it best not to disturb you."

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_Shit,where had that come from? It didn't even make sense as a reply!_ Neela felt as if her brain had developed a malfunction and had gone into some strange jealous mode.

_Jealous. _There, she had admitted it but looking into the puzzled eyes of her roomie, she knew she had to recover some kind of composure and to take away the mean tone of her statement. Neela came out with a half-smile that just managed to not turn into a grimace. "Sorry, Ray," she apologised, "I, uh, just had a lot on my mind with this patient I've got."

It was a rubbish excuse/explanation, call it what you will, but it seemed to do the trick as he shrugged almost imperceptibly and carried on in his usual light-hearted manner.

"I got plans for us when we're done. Movie, they're releasing 'The Exorcist' for a limited showing then steak and ribs afterwards." The look on his face was nearly childish in its enthusiasm and anticipation of her answer.

Neela felt her heart leap. He had made plans for them! It was true, vomiting horror films and big hunks of meat didn't constitute the most romantic of evenings but it was still, technically, movie and dinner. _A date?_ She tried not to read too much into it, went for as much nonchalance as she could.

"I'm not sure that I'd feel like eating after seeing that but, yeah, you're on." She stuck out her tongue as she remembered how queasy she had felt after the last time he had made her watch it. Never in a million years would she ever have thought that horror films would be a regular part of her life, considering she had always steered well clear of them. But then, never in a million years did she think she would ever share an apartment with noisy, messy, groupie-shagging Ray Barnett – and like it!

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Ray was taken aback by her terse reply, he had no idea what had brought that on and he started to question the wisdom of what he was about to suggest when he recognised her poor attempt to excuse herself. Even better, he was stupidly happy when she agreed to the evening's plans. He had spent a long time at the beginning of their roomie days deliberately winding Neela up just for the hell of it, heck, he was a rocker wasn't he? Eventually though, he came to hate seeing the pained look appeared on that gentle, dusky face and he attempted to keep the chaos of his lifestyle down, not always successfully but the point was he tried. Nowadays, despite the odd gig here and there, he had moulded into his profession and more often than not, all he really wanted at the end of a long day was to hang out with a beautiful Indian doctor who had an almost unhealthy obsession with Celebrity Poker.

"Great, I'll meet you at 7.0 at the desk." _A date by any other name._ Ray sent up a mental apology to Shakespeare for his poor attempt at paraphrasing.

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"Oh, before I forget, this is for you. From Trish at the lab."

Ray looked down at the slip of paper Neela handed to him and gazed at the wall as he tried to put a face to the name. A grin appeared slowly as he recalled a pretty blonde. He had no intention of using the number given to him but he was pleased to see he still had the ol' Barnett magic. When he turned his attention back to Neela, the grin faded as all he saw was her retreating back.

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She would have stayed to find out more about his reaction to 'Trish at the lab', but seeing the lop-sided grin was nearly too much for Neela and she had to walk away as her heart sank, the thought of that evening not quite so appealing anymore. _Definitely not a date, just two friends catching a horror flick and some steak._

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**Let me know your thoughts x**_  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters

**Note: **thanks everyone for ur reviews, its keeping the roomie spirit alive (and giving me a nice distraction from 'Dance' which I will progress with too but god, angst can be so depressing to write sometimes can't it :p)

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"OW!" yelped Ray. Neela had thumped his arm as they made their way out of the cinema. 

"You totally deserved that, I can't believe you did that!"

Ray couldn't help but laugh despite the pain, it had been a classic.

Neela had no idea how he had managed to punch a hole through the bottom of the pop-corn tub but come the famous head-spinning scene when she had reached for another few kernels, a hand grabbed hers causing her to emit a high-pitched scream and everyone in their screen to turn towards her – mortifying! She definitely thought she had lost at least 5 years off her life.

"Aw c'mon, you can't tell me that wasn't funny," he cajoled.

In spite of herself, Neela allowed a smile to appear, now that they were outside in the fresh air and the shock had worn off, yes, it was quite funny.

"See, there you go," Ray was gladdened to see his friend returning his grin. "As a peace offering, I'll buy your dinner. Ow!" This time, though, his yelp was more for effect as Neela's next hit was more playful than painful.

"Talk about taking advantage of a cheap night, you know I won't eat much after seeing that," she let out a theatrical sigh but still led the way to the steakhouse just across the road.

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So maybe she had more of an appetite than she thought but those ribs were _tasty_! Neela was definitely of the 'can't talk, eating' school of thought as she put her sharp mind to the 'sticky' problem of how not to get the secret-recipe sauce dripped on herself as she wrestled with her meal.

Ray savoured this rare opportunity to study her, seeing how cute she was in her single-mindedness to chew clean the bones whilst maximising the mopping up of sauce, white napkin tucked into the neck of her blouse.

At one point, she had glanced up at him during her epic battle, her nose covered with a smear of sauce. Without saying anything, he had reached over to wipe it off with his own napkin. Neela had just grinned at him and for a fleeting moment when their eyes met, there had been the slightest …something?

Finally, when they had finished their meal, Ray took out his wallet and adopted a gloomy look. "Right, so you wash, I'll dry."

Startled, Neela could only say, "Eh?"

"So much for you not being able to eat much. Cheap dinner she said, hah," his tone was serious but there was no mistaking the laughter that brought out the gold in his eyes.

"What can I say? I guess the devil just brings out the hunger in me." _And I don't just mean the food. Oh, God, tell me I didn't just think that! Did he notice? Don't think so… Why am I talking to myself? Stop being a nutcase!_

Giving herself a shake, Neela ignored the enquiring eyebrow that Ray had raised at her after seeing that she had been having some kind inner struggle.

Seeing that he would not be getting an answer to his unasked question, Ray stood and held out his hand, "Let's get out of here and get a drink."

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**Note: sorry its just a short chapter this time. a bite-size piece to bridge for next installment. Might be a little gap between updates as am starting new job tomorrow, arghh!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own ER, etc, etc

**Note: **Thanks again everyone for the reviews, it keeps the dream alive :D, lol. Sorry for the delays both here and in 'Dance'. My new job takes up all weekdays for time being so updates will be reduced to the weekend so will endeavour to do both stories at same time.

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"Hic…hic…" 

Ray tried to stifle his guffaw but the anguished expression on Neela's face only made it worse. They had been in the bar for a good while as the line of glasses testified and the large number of ribs she had consumed had started to make themselves known.

"Stop it…hic...it's...hic…not funny…hic-hic…ow…" Neela pressed her hand against her side as she felt the stitch getting more painful. The attack of hiccups had been going on now for 20 minutes and they showed no sign of abating. All the various traditional remedies had been tried, drinking water backwards out of a glass, holding her breath, spoonful of sugar, getting a fright although the last was probably the least successful as Ray had decided to tell her about the state of global warming and the effects of pollution rather than taking the usual 'Boo!' option. Moreover, they had served only to entertain the victim's friend rather than provide any real relief.

"You know," began Ray thoughtfully, "I think the world record for hiccups was about 60 years."

His statement was met by a baleful glare. "Not helping…hic…Ray…hic… Not…hic…helping."

Biting his lip to stop another laugh, he cleared his throat and passed her another shot of tequila. "Here, try this. If it doesn't kill you, it'll cure you."

Neela had reached the stage where she would try anything and without any ado, she tossed back the liquor and grimaced as she felt the burning heat spread down to her stomach. Waiting several moments, she blinked a couple of times and beamed at her roomie. "I'm cured, it's a miracle! This calls for a celebration." Waving over the bartender, she ordered a couple more beers and vodka chasers to go with them.

As the night wore on, the alcohol appeared to re-vitalise Neela. "Let's hit a club, I wanna go dance."

"Neela, I don't think that's such a hot idea, I'm working tomorrow and don't you have an early shift?" It had been some time since either of them had burned the candle at both ends and Ray wasn't at all sure that they were up to doing that anymore.

"Bah! What happened to the rough-and-ready that I know and love?" Her dark eyes glinted, challenging.

_Know and love, eh?_ Ray's spirit lifted and well, he had never been one to turn down a challenge.

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"Neela," Ray shouted above the music. "Are you ok here? I need water." After seeing her smile and nod in acknowledgement that she had heard him, he made his way to the bar and gasped his request for refreshment. He had no idea where she got her energy from, an hour of non-stop dancing had his body crying for his bed but she showed no signs of flagging. At least with the band, there were breaks and a lot of the time, it was about hanging out with the guys and whatever girls and associated friends were around afterwards.

He watched the slim form of his beautiful room-mate sway and turn on the busy dancefloor, long black hair swishing in time to her movements. As he watched, he also saw several guys take notice of her and one in particular quickly move quickly over to her, take her hand and draw her close to him. Ray's brain went to red-alert and gulping down the water, he got back to the dancefloor in two seconds flat and with a firm shoulder and warning look at the usurper, he took his place next to Neela and enjoyed the feel of her body moving next to his.

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Neela was happy to keep dancing while Ray took a rest and she was flattered when the cute guy in the dark jeans and shirt began to dance with her, his gray eyes never breaking contact with her. However, she was not displeased when her partner suddenly changed to someone altogether more familiar and Neela felt a delicious thrill travel down her back as Ray remained so close to her that she could feel the heat of his body and her flesh tingled whenever the bare skin of his arm brushed against hers.

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It was coming on 3.0am, nearly closing time, and in the way of most places, the music had begun winding down to the slow tunes where most of the people still remaining where couples making the most of the slightly more intimate atmosphere. Ray had been keen to get away before now as he had never been comfortable at this stage of the night when he wasn't with a girl _in that way_. Neela, however, was determined to stay on 'til the bitter end and whether it was the alcohol that dictated what she did next, she didn't know but at the final tune, some cheesy 80s hit from a film, her arms lifted and linked around Ray's neck and her head rested against his chest. She was secretly delighted when his arms circled her waist and rested at the base of her spine.

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Ray was sure she could hear his heart thumping wildly against his ribcage but he was delighted to have the girl he wanted in his arms and he wanted to freeze this moment in time

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**Good, bad or ugly? you know what to do x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **never going to own ER

**Note: **Here's the awaited reela get-together and so have deemed this chapter M+ . Hope this lives up to what everyone wanted to happen.

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Tugging at Ray's t-shirt, Neela virtually dragged him into the apartment even as their mouths sought each other's hungrily. Barely retaining their self-control, they only just made it to Neela's room. 

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As the last note of the last song ended and the lights went up, Neela slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Ray through long lashes and it was several long moments before she grudgingly pulled herself away from his lean, warm body. She had waited a long time to get that close to him and as their bodies pressed close together, she felt the heat of desire spread from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Eyes closed, Neela breathed in Ray's musky scent and the light cologne that he usually wore, a heady mixture that sent her senses whirling.

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Ray looked down at his roomie as she laced her fingers through his and led the way back home, not speaking, not looking at him. Unsure what was happening, he let himself follow her. At the front door, Neela stopped and he stood quietly, expecting her to fumble in her bag for the key but was taken by surprise when instead, she pulled him towards her and kissed him deeply, passionately. Automatically, instinctively, he reached to hold her face and he felt her body rise as he returned her kiss but his mind reeled.

"Neela…" His voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Shh," She gently placed her finger against his lips. Neela didn't think as far ahead as the next day, she was only certain of what she wanted, who she wanted, that night. Finally, her hand rummaged for and pulled out her key.

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His breathing quickened as soft brown hands glided under his t-shirt and sent his pulse racing dangerously fast when they lifted the cloth over his head and threw it on the floor. Neela's own heart-rate matched Ray's as his supple fingers quickly, expertly loosened the buttons of her blouse before reaching round to unhook her bra.

She could hardly believe that her long-held fantasy was being acted out and a long sigh escaped her as Ray traced a long line of kisses down her body and her hands clenched on his shoulders when he slid down the black cotton of her trousers along with the scrap of familiar pink lace that lay underneath. Impatience welled within her in direct proportion to her growing need. Taking the initiative, she deftly rolled her weight so that Ray flipped over and lay beneath her.

He watched Neela yank almost fiercely at his jeans then let out a yelp as her vigour resulted in the buttons catching one or two of his more delicate hairs. It broke the air of seriousness that had surrounded them and she adopted an apologetic expression as she giggled, "Ooops, sorry."

The pained look on his face was comical, "Careful doc."

Sticking her tongue out at him, Neela grinned mischievously, "How about I kiss it better?" Ray shut his eyes as she leaned over him.

The moon shone softly onto two bodies that rose and fell together in perfect harmony through a night whose silence was punctuated not by words but by low moans and gasps borne of mutual passion.

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With Neela's head resting on his chest, Ray smoothed the lustrous black hair of the woman he had wanted for as far as he could remember, Ray smiled as he recalled how not so long ago, his fingers had been tangled in those same locks. He tenderly cradled Neela's sleeping form and carefully pulled the duvet over them, aware of how quickly the early morning air cooled their sweat-slick bodies. She never stirred at the movement, her breathing remaining soft and even.

Taking a chance, Ray whispered quietly into her hair, "I love you."

He settled himself more comfortably and made to go to sleep and was startled and happy when the words "I love you too" floated up to him, barely audible.

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**Yup, it's so cheesey, it smells of camembert! x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I will never in my wildest dreams own ER

**Note:** lots of warm thanks for all the reviews xx just a very short chapter with more snuggles and joy :)

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Neela felt as though she was floating on air. Stretching languidly, she admired Ray's lean body which was still damp from the shower. The towel twisted about his waist caught the rivulets of water that ran between the ridges of muscle on his stomach. Seeing that Neela was awake, he leaned over her and shook his head so that water from his hair splattered her. 

"Yaah!" She squealed and retreated beneath the duvet. "That's not nice. Whyncha make a girl happy by bringing some breakfast?"

Neela felt his weight settle on top of the duvet and long-fingered hands search beneath the cover for her.

"I'm sure I made this girl pretty happy a while ago and it definitely _wasn't_ breakfast I gave her." Ray heard the muffled giggle before he felt the muffled whack on his arm. "Ok, I surrender. I'll use my skills to search out some decent coffee." He planted a kiss roughly where he thought her head was and headed towards the kitchen.

Popping her head out, Neela couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She closed her eyes, she could still feel his warm embrace and still smell his scent on her pillow. This was bliss. From the kitchen she could hear the rattling of pots and the faint 'phut phut' of the percolator.

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Returning to the bedroom bearing a tray laden with fresh coffee and pancakes, Ray was met by the beautiful sight of Neela's sleeping figure. He carefully set the tray down on the dressing table before crossing over to lightly kiss her awake.

"I must have dozed off," Her voice was husky with sleep.

"Breakfast is served." He nodded in the direction of the dressing table as the aroma of fresh coffee wafted over to them, "It'll get cold."

Neela studied him for a moment then pulling him down to her she reached for the towel. "Leave it, I need to work up an appetite first."

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"Will you look at that? They're like two teenagers." This came from Abby.

"It makes you sick," said Frank in disgust.

"Aw, c'mon you two, they're happy and in love, let them enjoy it." Luka remonstrated them.

The three of them surveyed Ray and Neela from the desk as the roomies flickered adoring glances at each other whenever they could.

"Were we ever like that? Please say we weren't." Abby directed this at Luka but Frank answered for him.

"Yup, you'd better believe it, just as bad."

Abby and Luka grinned at each other and shrugged.

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**Gimme your thoughts x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **see other chapters

**Note: **Alas, this brings our roomie fluff to an end. By the way, have forgotten whether the right term is 'L' or 'El'. I will blame it on me being a Brit :p. if anyone can enlighten me, that would be great.

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_Epilogue_

It had been several months since they had become more than just roomies and Ray found it hard to believe it had taken so long. He also found it hard to believe that his incarnation as a rock'n'roll, devil-may-care, groupie lover had found a glorious peace with a slighty nerdy, straight-down-the-line professional. Looking down at the head that was resting on his shoulder, Ray knew that he wouldn't change it for all the world. Indeed, it was as though they had never been apart. To everyone else's amusement, the roomies had tried to keep things as low-key as possible by not talking about their relationship but they failed miserably as it didn't take a rocket scientist to see the smiles and touches that they shared when they thought no-one was looking. To the credit of their colleagues, none of them made an issue of it, figuring that they would make it official when they were ready.

It had been good of Luka to swing the rota so that they got a weekend off together and they had made they most of it, taking off on a short spur-of-the-moment road trip which brought them ever closer. Unfortunately, the real world got in the way and it was all too soon before Monday came round and it was time to get back to the ER.

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As the train stuttered to a halt, Neela found herself being gently shaken awake and nudged off the L by Ray. She squinted at the bright sunshine and stifling a yawn, she guided them in the direction of the coffee stand. Cradling her drink, Neela peered pensively at Ray. "I guess it's time we told them, huh?"

He gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah, it's time."

"Do you think anyone knows?"

"Probably Luka and Abby."

Standing at the ER entrance, their fingers interlaced and both took a deep breath. Ray smiled his quirky smile, "Ready?"

"Ready."

She leaned up to kiss him tenderly. "I love you Dr. Barnett."

"I love you too..." he returned the kiss, "...Dr. Barnett."

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**Taa-daahh! And they all lived happily ever after :)****…**


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